Bill Cammack » rant

Synthetic People (Mel Gibson Has A Point…)

Bill Cammack — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:41:42 +0000

Mel Gibson has done it again. :)

Once again, his PR team has to go into crisis management / damage control mode because he was running his mouth while he thought he wasn’t being recorded.

Amongst the myriad things to be learned from this, according to examiner.com, Mel dropped this gem on his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva:

“Look what you did to me… look what you are… look what every part of you is… f**king fake… f**king fake. You are the most synthetic person… who the f*** are you?”

Now, hahahaha Being that I don’t know her at all and never even heard of her before this story broke the other day, I don’t know exactly what Mel’s referencing…

He COULD very well be saying that PHYSICALLY, she’s synthetic as far as the various procedures that women (and some men also) undergo to make themselves look better in their own eyes or other people’s eyes.

I have elected to adopt “Synthetic” as a personality-based term. “You’re the most synthetic person… who the hell *ARE* you? O_o”

Synthetic (Webster’s): 4b: devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities.

I really enjoy that term and I’m going to start using it regularly. :) “Fake” is one thing.. Like as in “You’re not really who you said you were” or “You’re not really who you THINK you are”. Synthetic, to me, implies deliberate attempts to make people believe one thing when you know damned well that the opposite is true or that “nothing” is true.. An example being someone pretending to be happy about something when they’re actually mad about it or pretending to be happy when they’re neutral about it and couldn’t possibly care any less one way or the other.

I like “Synthetic” because it implies to me that I can see your deliberate attempt at fakery and that makes you look even worse than if I considered you misguided or confused.

Synthetic People

It’s tough to spot synthetic people. It’s especially tough in New York City, where so many people need to Act As If in order to get ahead. Things work in the reverse of the proper order here. The way you act determines how people perceive you which turns into tangible opportunities for you to do what you claimed to have done all along. In other places, this works in the correct order where you do something or actually ARE a certain way, people recognize that, give you credit and offer you opportunities based on who you really are.

The way I figure out what time it is is by paying attention to how people act in different situations. If you can decipher their motives, you can create a mental graph of how they’re likely to behave depending on how much they think they can stand to benefit from trying to use you.

For instance.. If a gal knows you want to spend time with her and her actual motive is to network and meet people that you’re already friends with, she’ll react differently to an invitation to hang out one-on-one than she will to an invitation to hang out at some large party where she knows you know 60 people that are planning to show up. This also works if you change plans, like you tell her you’re going to X party, but then you change the plan to go somewhere you can get to know each other better without incessant interruptions. If she doesn’t give a flying **** about getting to know you, she’s gonna bail as soon as she realizes she won’t be able to use you for networking… Good Riddance to Bad Garbage. >:D

Ulterior Motives

I just heard about another example from a homegirl of mine while I was in the process of writing this post. She says something to the effect of “Girls are easier to ‘take with’ than guys”. That didn’t make any sense to me, because as long as a) The females in the group are HAWT and b) you have more females than males, you can get in anywhere you want in this city. An attractive chick on your arm is literally the key to the NYC nightlife.

When I asked her what she was talking about, she said how guys invite her to parties and then balk when she says she wants to bring a guy with her. That’s because she didn’t understand their motives for inviting her in the first place. Nobody cares about her coming to a party and having a good time. They’re going to invite her so they can try to get on or so they can look cool for inviting a hawt chick to a party.

If she brings a dude with her, she automatically diminishes the props of the guy that invited her. His ‘pull’ is zero. HIs addition to the party is zero. He invited a chick, but she’s less likely to hook up with HIM (which is the most important thing) or any of the other guys at the party because she brought her own entertainment. He would have been better off not inviting her at all becasue a) it doesn’t make him look good and b) even if she’s NOT dating the guy she brought, he’s just afforded that guy access to the OTHER chicks at the party so if he pulls one of them that a friend of his wanted, he’s gonna get screamed on for screwing up his boy’s action.

Again.. Recognizing this requires accurately assessing someone’s motives in inviting you somewhere. If a guy invites a gal somewhere and then balks if she asks him if she can bring a guy, you know what time it is. He was only trying to set up an opportunity to **** her and if that’s not what’s going on, he’d rather not see her around at all… Otherwise, what difference does it make? O_o If he’s inviting her so she can have a good time and enjoy herself, wouldn’t that be enhanced if she could bring her friend(s), regardless of how many of them are guys?.. Get a clue.

Synthetic Relationships

The typical concept of relationships is that it’s two people on the same page, going in the same direction, wanting the best out of life for themselves and each other. Sometimes, that’s not the case at all, but instead, it’s two people that figured out that they can use the other person to fulfill their own agenda whether that works for their SO or not.

Unfortunately, people aren’t wiling to admit that they’re in synthetic relationships. If you ask people, they either say they’re in a relationship or they’re single. There’s no qualification given to the state or quality (or lack thereof) of their relationship.

There’s nothing wrong with synthetic relationships.. except that they fall apart as soon as one of the participants gets a better version of what the relationship was providing them from someone else. If a guy’s with a gal just because he likes her ass, as soon as he has access to a gal with a better ass, he’s outta there. If a gal’s with a guy because he’s buying her stuff, she’s gone as soon as a richer guy offers to support her.

That’s assuming that these people bounce from the relationships at all. :D There’s really no reason to leave a synthetic relationship because it’s better to have TWO chicks with nice asses or TWO guys that pay for everything instead of just one. Besides, if one of them find out what’s going on, who cares? \o/ You still have the other one(s).

The obvious problem here is when people don’t realize they’re in relationships like this and they think it’s real. All I can say about that is if you find out this is the case, make sure you don’t fly off the handle like Mel, ’cause you might be the next one in the tabloids! :D

Don’t Sleep on the Casting Couch

Bill Cammack — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:13:48 +0000

The casting couch is a euphemism for a sociological phenomenon that involves the trading of sexual favors by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, in return for entry into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization. The term “casting couch” originated in the motion picture industry, with specific reference to couches in the offices of casting agents that could be used for sexual activity between the agents and aspiring actresses. But it is now often used in reference to other industries besides entertainment.

Careers which are highly desirable and traditionally difficult to break into, such as the movie, television and music industries, have been the subject of casting couch stories in popular culture. Such trading of favors is an abuse of power, and can become a wider sex scandal if deemed newsworthy.

~Wikipedia

I am EXTREMELY TIRED of hearing from women about what’s supposed to be as opposed to what actually IS. Tired.

Maybe life SHOULD be fair… except it ISN’T. Attractive people get more stuff. Unattractive people get less stuff, unless they work insanely harder than attractive people to make up for the difference. Taller guys get women easier than shorter guys. Shapely women get guys easier than obese women. Rich people get better lawyers than poor people. Guilty rich people skate on charges while innocent poor people get convicted because their lawyers weren’t good enough to properly process the evidence and they couldn’t afford to call in expert witnesses. Women with kids don’t get to do what single women do. Deadbeat dads get their drivers’ licences revoked. Guys’ girls cheat on them and women’s men dump them after being engaged to them for three years…. LIFE. ISN’T. FAIR!

So, I don’t wanna hear it anymore about “Men don’t have to X” or “A man wouldn’t be asked to Y” when that has NOTHING to do with YOUR. LIFE. Pay close attention… If. You. Are. Not. A. Man, Then. Don’t. Worry. About. What. Your. Life. Would. Be. IF. You. HAD. BEEN. A. Man. And. In. This. Same. Predicament!

If you are NOT a man, do NOT worry about what your life WOULD BE *IF* you HAD BEEN a man and in this SAME predicament. First of all, if you had been a man, you might not have been in this situation in the first place. Did you think of that? Maybe the reason you were hired is BECAUSE you’re a female. Maybe the reason you were hired is BECAUSE whomever found you physically attractive. Maybe the reason you were hired was SPECIFICALLY so that guys that you were going to work with would have a chick to try to bag. How about that?

Regardless of how you got there, PLEASE stop thinking that whatever your job qualifications are makes you “NOT a female”. SHOULD guys treat you with respect and equality? Definitely. Can you COUNT on that? Nope. Your hypothetical situations and protests about “if you had been a man, then X” and your hopes that “What’s Right” is going to save you from a bad predicament are exactly what makes you vulnerable to the predicament occurring in the first place.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day, and we were talking about using laptops in public places. She said she wouldn’t do it. My initial response to her was that it’s fine to do as long as you don’t leave your computer on the table and go somewhere else. I honestly felt that way, wholeheartedly, until she said “I wouldn’t be comfortable with someone knowing that I had my computer and potentially following me from the establishment”. That’s when the brakes screeched, and I told her she was EXACTLY right. EXACTLY. I was wrong and she was right, because she was thinking further into the situation than I was.

I would have been A FOOL to say “Well, if you bring your computer to a public place and use it, people SHOULDN’T follow you from there and try to steal it from you” or “People SHOULDN’T steal your computer/camera/what-have-you when you leave it unattended” or even “If you were a man, nobody would try to follow you and steal your computer”. A. FOOL!

You are SIMILARLY A FOOL if you are a woman that a guy finds attractive and you dismiss the concept that he’s going to try to have sex with you BECAUSE you are in a place of business or you are an executive or you are his boss or because you know someone that works there or for ANY. REASON. AT. ALL. Someone commented on one of my posts a few months ago something to the effect of “I can’t believe guys think this way in 2009″. Sorry. WAKE UP! Nothing’s changed about the game. If you feel like you’re getting pressured by a guy, you need to evaluate your situation and decide whether you want to fortify your position, take your chances and hope it works out in your favor, or BAIL OUT of the situation altogether.

Do Not let your pride get in the way and block you from potentially making the right decision FOR YOU. It’s pride that taps you on the shoulder and says “A man wouldn’t have to bail out in this situation, so I’m not going to either”. You are NOT a man, so don’t BOTHER thinking about what a man would or wouldn’t do if someone pressured him. ‘Matter of fact, if you want to think about it that way, like as if life’s supposed to be fair, then make sure you can see yourself RESPONDING the same way a man would. Does that make sense?…

If you want to go that route and say that you’re going to do whatever a man would do in the same situation, you’d better be willing to see yourself punching someone in the face, or worse. If that’s not YOU… If you don’t think you’re going to defend yourself (and defend yourself SUCCESSFULLY) in the event that bad becomes worse, then I suggest you make sure that you avoid “worse” entirely.

While we’re on the subject, I’m going to throw in a tip that I’m pretty sure I tell chicks EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK., which is do NOT accept opened drinks from people AT. ALL. If you don’t see that bartender open that beer and hand it to you, don’t drink it. If you walked away from your drink to go to the bathroom or take a phone call outside, do NOT pick it up and resume drinking it. If you require a visual to understand what I’m talking about, watch this episode of “Pink”, dated January 30, 2009:

So stop sleeping. Some guys are going to come after you regardless of what YOU think or what YOU want. Your best move is to be diligent & vigilant when it comes to your own safety. The more guys get away with, the more they’re going to TRY to get away with. Is it right? Nope. Is it fair? Nope. Is it the truth? Yep.

OTOH, There’s no need to be unnecessarily paranoid about this issue. In most situations, there are checks & balances in place which enable you to fortify your position. It might be your boss, it might be the Human Resources department, it might be the security working the job or local law enforcement, it might be a strengthening of your own demeanor. It doesn’t really matter how it gets done, so long as the potential offenders recognize that there will be consequences & repercussions if they persist in their behavior or ESCALATE their behavior. Without that… If you let them get away with the small stuff, they’re eventually going to try you on something more important. If you see things going in that direction, fortify or break out.

Stick to the facts. Keep your eyes on the prize. Some of the time, guys don’t press up on you because they don’t feel like it. Some of the time, guys don’t press up on you because they’re being respectful to you. Some of the time, guys don’t press up on you because they’re being respectful of the potential consequences & repercussions…. If a guy feels free to do stuff to you that you feel is disrespectful, you have a problem. If he continues after you inform him that you don’t like what he’s doing, you have an even BIGGER problem. If you can’t stop, and begin to visualize how you’re going to fortify your position and return your workspace to being a safe & comfortable environment for you, consider bouncing… go away… break north… leave…

Also, let’s be clear on one other thing. If you feel obliged to remain in a situation where you’re being taken advantage of, Trust & Believe that you DO. NOT. get to choose HOW MUCH ADVANTAGE the perpetrators take of you. Do NOT let your mental fantasies about what’s “right” and what “should” happen in life impair your ability to visualize all of the negative possibilities in your current situation. Similarly, Do Not overestimate your ability to say “No”.

This applies to everyone. If a guy is dating a chick and he has only one girl and he’s living in her house and playing the video games she bought him and eating off of her food stamps, he can talk all that good shit he wants about leaving her, but the fact of the matter is that his ability to make decisions about his relationship is ENTIRELY COMPROMISED by how beholding he is to her for his very livelihood. He knows it. She knows it. Everybody else knows it, too.

If that’s the situation you’re in, then you need to evaluate for yourself whether you actually want to protest or you’d rather lay down on the Casting Couch and take what’s coming to you. If keeping a job is that important to you, then you might need to realize that you’re just that type of person. There’s nothing wrong with that. There are lots of people that get screwed on the Casting Couch all the time… I’m sure many of them even like it or get kicks from the fact that they can get money or acting jobs or advance their careers simply by giving it up a few times. It’s better than starving, right?

right?

So I’m clear now. I’ve said what I have to say about the issue. My rant is done and I feel good. :)

The last thing I’ll add is that everyone who knows me knows I’m the LAST guy to begrudge the next man a chance to get it on with a chick. Any chick. “Don’t mean nuthin’” to me. I’ll listen to his story and probably even ‘slap him five’ and pat him on the back for getting his. This has nothing to do with guys getting laid. This has EVERYTHING to do with informing women about how the world REALLY works, from the standpoint of a guy that’s already done all this stuff to chicks ad infinitum, and having them either not understand or not believe what I’m telling them and walk into the same traps they would have fallen in if I had just stayed shut.

I’m self-absolved. My hands are clean. Good Luck.

~Bill